Hid With CHRIST JESUS

"Ye are dead, and your life is hid with CHRIST in GOD." - Colossians 3:3 [KJV]

We are apt to mistake the words, and pervert the meaning of scripture. This charge is brought against us by Jeremiah: “Ye have perverted the words of the living God,” (chapter 23:36.) This dejects our souls, robs Christ of the glory of our hearts, and prevents our holy and comfortable walk in Him. See if this be not the case with respect to this text. Ye believers in Christ, are dead, 

(1st.) “to the law by the body of Christ,” (Romans 7:4.) Being one with Christ by faith, you are dead to all legal hopes, from your own works. 

(2d.) Dead to sin, being baptized into Christ by His Spirit (Romans 6:3.) 

(3d.) Dead to the world, being crucified with Christ, (Galatians 6:14.) 

O says one, and another sincere soul, I am not thus dead. I have no true faith. I find sin alive in me—legal hopes and fears cleaves to me—and too much love of the world in me, to my grief and burden. Behold, here is distress through mistake. St. Paul doth not say, all these things are dead in you; but ye are dead to them. So that you are not in subjection to them—they are your burden—you groan under, and long for deliverance from them, these are the clearest proofs that you partake of the life of Christ. 

Glory to Jesus for this. Your life is hid. Entirely from carnal men. They cannot see the spring and motive of your conduct. Marvel not that they deride you for it. Your life is often hid to yourself. When the dunghill of corruption’s steam, temptation’s smoke, the black exhalations of unbelief arise, and Christ our life withdraws His presence, then it is so hid, that we fear our life is dead. 

But that is as impossible as for God to die. For our life is hid with Christ. Then it can never be lost. Who can deprive us of it? Not all the powers of sin, earth, or hell. True, they may and do often rob our souls of the comforts and joys of our spiritual life, because we do not live and walk close with Christ; but our life is safe and secure, while our all-conquering Head lives. For it is also in God. God the Father chose us to eternal life—God the Son redeemed us to it—God the Spirit bestowed it upon us, therefore we can never perish—none can pluck us out of God’s hands. 

We need not fear any enemy. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” O believer, view your safety and security. Your enemies must first overcome, and take away the life of Christ and of God, before they can deprive you of your life which is hid in them. “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.” -Isaiah 54:17

 

-preacher Wm. Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

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